About Written Declaration 81

Fiona Hall, the MEP for Northumberland, proposed this Written Declaration in the European Parliament. The main points of the proposal:

HGVs make up 3% of the fleet, but they are involved in 14% of fatal collisions

400 people a year in Europe die because of HGV blind spots

These deaths could be prevented with practical and affordable technology. Adding cameras, lane departure warning systems and emergency braking systems are straighforward and affordable.

This needed to get half of all of the MEPs to sign this document for it to pass. The first efforts involved getting everyone to write to their local MEPs to ask them to sign the document. Following a trip of 15 of us to Strasbourg, we got to 335 signatures and earned a derogation (EU-speak for a postponement). This gave the opportunity for another trip to Strasbourg, where the final tally was at 401 signatures.
You can see the names of all the MEPS who signed up here.

What it means

This means the European Commission now have to review this Declaration, and respond to the concerns and queries in the document. It's the first step to actual change for vulnerable road users.

Fiona Hall, MEP for the North East at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on why she raised Written Declaration 81.
16th Feb 2011